News

Justin Friesen Going for Pan Am Umpire Accreditation

Jun282017

Manitoba's Provincial Coach Justin Friesen also happens to be a pretty stand up umpire (or sit down if there are umpire chairs...hahaha). So much so that Badminton Canada has put him up for Pan Am accreditation testing at the Pan Am Junior Championships in Markham Ontario, July 21-28, 2017.

Justin Friesen, who began his umpiring career in 2009 has quickly moved up the ranks. By 2010 he gained his Regional Certification, and his Provincial Certification in 2012. After a few good years of officiating locally he was called on by Badminton Canada in 2014 for his National Umpire Accreditation and passed with flying colours. Since then he has umpired such National/International tournaments as 2014 Junior National Championships, 2014 Prairie Junior Elite, 2015 University/College Championships, 2015 Prairie Senior Elite, 2016 Canada Open, and the 2016 Prairie Junior Elite.

You may be thinking to yourself, I thought Justin Friesen was a Provincial Coach, not an umpire! Turns out having first hand knowledge of high level badminton aids in your development as an umpire. It also turns out that BWF and Pan Am Badminton looks kindly on younger umpire and referee prospects because they have a rule that all of BWF's umpires need to be under the age of 55. That said, they're always looking to promote young talented officials up the ranks, including our very own Justin Friesen!

Almost immediately following the Canada Open, Justin will be heading to Markham Ont for his Pan Am Umpire Evaluation at the Pan Am Junior Championships, where he may be able to see some of Manitoba's Arnish Patel's matches. Badminton Canada will have nominated Justin for evaluation, and if he passes his tests then he will be called on to umpire at Pan Am events. The only next step would be to move on to become a BWF umpire, which would allow him to umpire at all the big tournaments including World Super Series events, Commonwealth Games, and Olympics.

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